There's this rather gory advertisement on TV about the importance of walking against the flow of traffic. The ad ends with a young boy being rammed from behind by an automobile, and his blood splattered on the faces of his friends. Effective, yes. Practical, ummm ... I beg to differ.

You see, although I am in total agreement with the ad's noble advice, I wonder how one can manage to walk against the flow of traffic on a one-way street? Most roads in major cities and towns (and even small ones) are already one way. If the direction I am walking happens to be the same as the flow of traffic, the only way I can heed the advice of the ad is to walk backwards. And then I may end up in one of the many uncovered manholes, drains and unrepaired potholes, which are common in the city.

But seriously, the ad shows how detached city planners (and I use that description loosely) can be from reality. These very people who design 'conveniences' and outline traffic plans for us pedestrians and cyclists are the last people who would need to use them. No prizes for guessing who has to eventually put up with their mistakes and bad planning.

After taking a friend who was visiting from New York for a walk on Penang streets late last year, he remarked to me that "your government doesn't care about pedestrians".

That, I think, sums up the whole sad situation.